Vacuum cleaner



E. E. NORDEEN VACUUM CLEANER Oct. 3, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 23. 1965 1957 E. E. NORDEEN 3,344,

VACUUM CLEANER Filed April 23. 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 3, 1967 E. r NORDEEN VACUUM CLEANER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 23. 1965 iiij g 4 United States Patent 3,344,460 VACUUM CLEANER Erwin E. Nordeen, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 450,368 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-351) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vacuum cleaner system having a dirt bag compartment with an inlet for admitting dirt laden air at an end of the bag and an air permeable member such as a raised perforate platform within the dirt bag compartment for supporting the bag at an area spaced from this inlet.

This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner.

Vacuum cleaners customarily employ a motor-blower unit to create a suction air flow for drawing air in through a nozzle to pick up dirt, then forcing this dirt laden air stream through a filter to separate the dirt from the air and then to exhaust the clean air from the cleaner into the ambient atmosphere.

One of the features of this invention is to provide an improved vacuum cleaner in which a housing is provided having improved means for supporting and enclosing the filter in the housing;

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment thereof as shown in the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a vacuum cleaner embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a bottom view of the nozzle portion of the cleaner with the bottom closure plate defining air passages removed.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional View through the air passage yoke and associated housing of the cleaner and taken substantially along line 44 of FIGURES 2 and 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

The vacuum cleaner 10 of this invention comprises a customary nozzle unit 11 supported on forward wheels 12 and spring (not shown) mounted rear Wheels 13 which are mounted for vertical yielding movement. The wheels are provided for ready movement of the cleaner over a supporting surface 14 such as a floor.

Extending upwardly from the rear of the nozzle unit 11 is an air flow yoke 15 on which is mounted an air impervious enclosing housing 16 having a removable front cover 17 for providing access to the interior of the housing 16.

Mounted on the rear of the housing 16 is an upwardly extending handle 18 having a portion 19 adapted to be grasped by the hand of the user and a convenient switch 20. The handle 18 also carries adjacent its upper end the usual electric power cord 21 which is adapted to be wound in the customary manner on cord supporting rear hooks 22 and 23.

As shown in FIGURE 2 the nozzle unit 11 includes a casing 24 formed with a front downwardly opening nozzle 25 of the customary type and with a rearwardly extending passage 26 for dirt laden air drawn through the nozzle 25.

3,344,468 Patented Oct. 3, 1967 Also mounted in the nozzle casing 24 is a motor-blower unit 27 having a motor 28 on one end and a blower 29 adjacent the other. The unit 27 exhausts into the interior of the casing 24 as indicated by the arrows 30 in FIG- URE 2 and from here the air escapes to the exterior through a plurality of spaced openings 60.

In FIGURE 2 certain elements which form no part of the invention are omitted for clarity of illustration. Thus the bottom plate which seals the bottom of the air passage 26 is omitted and the forward wheels 12 which are located on opposite sides of the unit 11 are also omitted. In addition, the bottom of the yoke 15 is shown broken away and in section so that the relationship of the yoke to the motor-blower unit 27 and the air passage 26 is clearly evident.

As can be seen in FIGURE 2 the inner end 31 of the air passage 26 terminates in a vertical plane which is generally parallel to the plane describing the adjacent end of the blower 29. This end 31 has a generally circular outer surface 32 which has an axis aligned with the axis of the generally circular adjacent end 33 of the blower 29. The yoke 15 is provided with a circular flange 34 engaging the surface 32 and on the opposite side with a circular flange 35 engaging the blower end surface 33. With this arrangement the yoke 15 and its associated structure is arcuately movable on the surfaces 32 and 33 so that the yoke 15 and its associated housing 16 and handle 18 may be moved to desired positions.

The yoke 15 is divided into a first air conduit 36 and a second air conduit 37 separated by a common wall 38.

As is shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 the yoke 15 is integral with the housing 16 and this entire unit is preferably made of a rigid molded plastic. The housing 16 has a bottom Wall 39, side walls 40 and 41 and a top wall 42. Located within the housing 16 above the bottom 39 thereof is an air permeable false bottom 43 comprising a grid 44 supported on downwardly extending sides 45 that rest on the housing bottom 39. This spacing of the grid 44 above the housing bottom 39 provides an air space 46 between the grid and the bottom. This space communicates with the second air conduit 37 by way of a rectangular opening 47. The false bottom structure 43 is also preferably made of molded plastic and is insertable in and removable from the housing 16 by way of the opening exposed by the removable front cover 17. When this cover 17 is removed the entire front of the housing 16 is exposed for changing filters and other servicing.

At one side of the housing 16 (the right side as viewed from the front) there is located an upwardly extending tube 48 which forms an upward extension of the first air conduit 36. The top of this tube 48 is telescopically received in the lower end of a second tube 49 that extends upwardly and is curved to the left as viewed from the front of the housing 16 and is provided with a filter bag receiving collar 50 arranged generally vertically and carrying on its forward end a bag retaining circular flange 51. This collar 50 is adapted to receive a replaceable filter bag of the usual type indicated generally at 52 in broken lines. As is shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 the bag is therefore suspended at the top from the collar 50 and rests at its bottom on the air permeable false bottom 43 so that the bag is supported at both its top and lower end.

In the rear lower part of the yoke 15 at the first air conduit 36 there is provided the usual spring pressed closure 53 that can be removed to expose an opening 54 through which off the floor cleaning tools (not shown) may be attached. This closure 53 is sea-led as by a felt washer 55 so as to minimize air leakage. Similarly, resilient seals are provided as indicated at 56, 57 and 58 in the customary manner.

In operation the motor-blower unit 27 creates a vacuum in the system with the result that dirt laden air is drawn in through the nozzle 25, through the nozzle passage 26 to the bottom of the first air conduit 36 in the yoke 15, upwardly in this passage 36 into the tube 48 and through this tube 48 and tube 49 into the interior of the bag 52 by way of the bag receiving collar 50.

From the bag 52 the air is drawn into the bottom space 46 beneath the grid 44 with the result that the dirt is trapped in the bag and primarily at the bottom thereof to leave the top of the bag clear so as not to impede air flow. From the bottom space 46 the thusly filtered air passes downwardly in the second air conduit 37 of the yoke 15 and then laterally as shown in FIG- URES 2 and 3 through the motor-blower unit 27 into the interior of the casing 24 and from there through the openings 60 to the ambient atmosphere.

Having described my invention as related to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is my intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description, unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed is defined as follows:

1. A vacuum cleaner, comprising: a nozzle adapted to have dirt laden air drawn therethrough; a rigid housing adapted to contain a filter for separating dirt from air and having an opening through which said filter is accessible for ready replacement; a movable cover across said opening; a first air conduit of rigid material communicating with said nozzle and extending into said housing with an exit end at an upper portion of said housing; air permeable means in said housing spaced from said first air conduit on which said filter rests during the cleaning operation, said air permeable means comprising a rigid air permeable false bottom member in said housing resting on the bottom of said housing and having an air permeable bag supporting portion spaced above the bottom thereof on which said filter rests during cleaning; a rigid second air conduit from said housing on the side of said air permeable means opposite said filter, said rigid housing and first and second conduits being integral with each other, and said bottom member being loosely held within said housing for removal through said opening; and suction means for drawing dirt laden air through said nozzle, through said first conduit and into said filter and drawing clean air from said filter, through said air permeable means and said second conduit and exhausting said air from the cleaner, said first and second rigid conduits exteriorly of said housing having a common wall between them for mutual strengthening and forming a direct connection with said nozzle.

2. The cleaner of claim 1 wherein said first conduit has a removable upper end portion having means thereon for attaching a dust separating bag.

3. The cleaner of claim 1 wherein said nozzle is located in a nozzle unit movable over a floor during cleaning, and said conduits exteriorly of said housing and said nozzle unit are provided with means for pivotally connecting said conduits and thus said housing to said nozzle unit.

4. The cleaner of claim 3 wherein said housing is provided with a cleaner handle attached thereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,269,482 1/1942 Replogle 15350 X 2,300,266 10/1942 Smellie 15350 X 2,806,242 9/1957 Sparklin 15351 3,002,216 10/1961 Beach 15-327 3,218,665 11/1965 Kurlinski 15-350 ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VACUUM CLEANER, COMPRISING: A NOZZLE ADAPTED TO HAVE DIRT LADEN AIR DRAWN THERETHROUGH; A RIGID HOUSING ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A FILTER FOR SEPARATING DIRT FROM AIR AND HAVING AN OPENING THROUGH WHICH SAID FILTER IS ACCESSIBLE FOR READY REPLACEMENT; A MOVABLE COVER ACROSS SAID OPENING; A FIRST AIR CONDUIT OF RIGID MATERIAL COMMUNICATING WITH SAID NOZZLE AND EXTENDING INTO SAID HOUSING WITH AN EXIT END AT AN UPPER PORTION OF SAID HOUSING; AIR PERMEABLE MEANS IN SAID HOUSING SPACED FROM SAID FIRST AIR CONDUIT ON WHICH SAID FILTER RESTS DURING THE CLEANING OPERATION, SAID AIR PERMEABLE MEANS COMPRISING A RIGID AIR PERMEABLE FALSE BOTTOM MEMBER IN SAID HOUSING RESTING ON THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOUSING AND HAVING AN AIR PERMEABLE BAG SUPPORTING PORTION SPACED ABOVE THE BOTTOM THEREOF ON WHICH SAID FILTER RESTS DURING CLEANING; A RIGID SECOND AIR CONDUIT FROM SAID HOUSING ON THE SIDE OF SAID AIR PERMEABLE MEANS OPPOSITE SAID FILTER, SAID RIGID HOUSING AND FIRST AND SECOND CONDUITS BEING INTEGRAL WITH EACH OTHER, AND SAID BOTTOM MEMBER BEING LOOSELY HELD WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR REMOVAL THROUGH SAID OPENING; AND SUCTION MEANS FOR DRAWING DIRT LADEN AIR THROUGH SAID NOZZLE, THROUGH SAID FIRST CONDUIT AND INTO SAID FILTER AND DRAWING CLEAN AIR FROM SAID FILTER, THROUGH SAID AIR PERMEABLE MEANS AND SAID SECOND CONDUIT AND EXHAUSTING SAID AIR FROM THE CLEANER, SAID FIRST AND SECOND RIGID CONDUITS EXTERIORLY OF SAID HOUSING HAVING A COMMON WALL BETWEEN THEM FOR MUTUAL STRENGTHENING AND FORMING A DIRECT CONNECTION WITH SAID NOZZLE. 